Cover apparatus or the like



United States Patent NC) 3,295,577 COVER APPARATUS OR THE LIKE LorraineT. Danielson, 3816 Beau d Rue, St. Paul, Minn. 55111 Filed Feb. 5, 1965,Ser. No. 430,597 6 Claims. (Cl. 150-52) This invention relates toperipheral covers and more particularly to an adjustable cover capableof being tightened over a surface, such as a table top.

Briefly described, the cover of this invention comprises a piece ofyieldable material, such as a piece of woven fabric. The piece ofmaterial is shaped generally to the surface it is intended to cover. Apocket is formed around the perimeter of the shaped material either byhemming the material or placing a second shaped piece of materialagainst it and hemming the two together. One portion of the pocket islarger than the rest of the pocket. An elastic band is placed in thepocket and each end is connected to a piece of pressure fasteningmaterial. Each piece of pressure fastening material is small enough tofit in the larger portion of the pocket, and large enough not to slideinto the smaller portion of the pocket. There are apertures in thelarger portion of the pocket through which each of the pressurefastening means extends. A first piece of pressure fastening means hason one side a plurality of upright hooks, which may be formed fromsynthetic threads, as is described in the United States patent to Georgede Mestral, 2,717,437, issued September 13, 1955. The second piece ofpressure fastening means may have a surface similar to the surface withthe hooks described for thel first fastening means, with the plane ofits hooks offset with respect to the plane of the hooks of the firstpiece of material, or may be a surface with a plurality of loops, suchas loops of threads. When the first and second pieces of pressurefastening material are pressed together at any point there is a firmfastening made by either hook grabbing hook, or hook grabhing loop.

The piece of material -used in this invention may be placed over asurface, such as a table top, and snugly drawn around the surface bystretching the elastic band in the pocket around the perimeter of thematerial. When sufciently adjusted so that the surface of the table topis smooth, the tension of the elastic band may be held by pressingtogether the two pieces of pressure fastening material. Since each ofthe two pieces of pressure fastening material may be made of wovenmaterial, they may be neatly folded and thus make a firm, non-bulgingfastening. Prior art adjustable coversof this type have the problem ofan unsightly bulging at the point of fastening, and further, are limitedin more finite steps as to the point along their lengths at which theycould be fastened.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an adjustableperipheral cover having substantially nonbulging fastening meansconnected to an elastic band used to adjust the cover.

It is another object of this invention to lprovide an adjustable cover,having in a pocket around its perimeter an elastic band, and having theexpansion of the elastic band held by pressing together two pieces ofmaterial, one of which has a plurality of upright hooks, and the otherof which has either another plurality of hooks or a plurality of loops.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improvedadjustable cover having an elastic band in a pocket around itsperimeter, which band is connected at each end to a piece of wovenfastening material. A first piece of the material having on one surfacea plurality of upright hooks, the second piece of material having onanother surface a plurality of loops, the hooks and loops 3,295,577Patented Jan. 3, 1967 ICC capable of forming a firm fastening whereverpressed together. A portion of the pocket being enlarged to accept thepieces of fastening material which are in turn to large to enter therest of the pocket.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent uponconsideration of the accompanying claims, specification and drawings, ofwhich:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of a substantially rectangular table having thecover of this invention adjusted thereon;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of FIGURE 1 taken along the line 2-2 whichshows a bottom view of the table with the cover of this inventionthereon; f

FIGURE 3 is a plan View of the cover of this invention showing t-hepockets in the perimeter of the material, the elastic band within thepocket, and the point of fastening;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged portion of FIGURE 3 which more clearly shows theenlarged portion of the larger pocket in which the pair of pressurefastening means are retained, and also the apertures through whichthefastening means extends; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged view of the pressure fastening means showing onesurface having a plurality of upright hooks, and another surface havinga plurality of loops.

In FIGURE 1 there is disclosed a substantially rectangular table,indicated generally at 11. Covering the surface of the table 11 is anadjustable peripheral cover 12, comprising a yieldable material such asa woven fabric. Also shown is a fastening means 13.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional View of the table of FIGURE 1 taken along theline 2--2. FIGURE 2 again shows table 11, adjustable cover 12, andfastening means 13.

' FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the adjustable cover 12. A pair of hemlines 19 and 20 define a pocket 17 which extends substantially aroundthe entire perimeter of material 12. An elastic band 16 is placed withinpocket 17, and connected to fastening means 13. Lines 19 and 20 alsodefine a larger pocket 18, wide enough to accept fastening means 13,which fastening means 13 is too wide to slide into pocket 17.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view of FIGURE 3 which more clearly shows howlines 19 and 20 define larger vpocket 18. FIGURE 4 also discloses a pairof apertures:

24 and 25 formed in pocket 18. Fastening means 13 is comprised of afirst piece 14 and a second piece 15. Piece 14 extends through aperture24, and piece 15` extends through aperture 25.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged view of fastening means 13 which shows a side ofpiece 14 having a plurality of loops 22, which loops 22 may be made ofthreads woven into piece 14, and piece 15 having a side containing aplurality of upright hooks 23, which hooks 23 may be a plurality ofsynthetic threads Woven into piece 15.

For proper operation of the apparatus of this invention, it is assumedthat cover 12 is generally shaped or formed to the surface which it isintended to cover, suc-h as the substantially rectangular surface of thetop of table 11 of FIGURE 1. Cover 12 is placed over the table top withpockets 17 and 18 and fastening means 13 extending generally below thesurface of the table top, as shown in FIGURE 2. Pieces 14 and 15 aregrasped and individually pulled to expand elastic band 16 within pocket17. When the expansion of elastic band 16 :has caused a sufficientadjustment in cover 12 to make it substani tially smooth across the topof table 11, the loops 22 of piece 14 are pressed against hooks 23 ofpiece 15 to form a fastening. Since hooks 23 will firmly grasp loops 22when pressed together at any point along the respective lengths ofpieces 14 and 15 of fastening means 13, any degree of expansion ofelastic band 16 may be maintained, limited only by the lengths of pieces14 and 15. Pieces 14 and 15 of fastening means 13 may be of a yield-lable woven material, such that unused portions may be neatly folded soas to form a non-bulging fastening.

By reference to FIGURE 4,`it will become apparent that though pieces 14and 15 of fastening means 13 are narrow enough to easily slide withinpocket 18, they are too Wide to slide into pocket 17, and therefore willalways be available to a user in pocket 18, and not be lost into pocket17 due to full contraction of elastic band 16.

It is thus apparent that this invention as described comprises a uniqueand improved adjustable cover providing a non-bulging, firm fasteningmeans capable of varying the adjustment of a peripheral cover, andfurther provides means for making the fastening means available to theuser when desired.

It will be obvious t-hat the general principles herein disclosed may beembodied in many forms other than that specifically illustrated withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention as defined in the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. An adjustable peripheral cover comprising:

a section of yieldable material;

a pocket formed by said material extending substantially around theperimeter of said material;

an elastic band placed within said pocket;

first and second portions of mating hook and eye pressure fasteningmeans;

said first and second portions connected, respectively,

to rst and second ends of said elastic band, and extending through firstand second apertures formed in said pocket; and

said first and second portions capable of forming a substantiallynon-bulging, firm fastening when pressed together, and being ofsufficient length to vary the expansion of said elastic band whenpressed together at any point.

2. The adjustable peripheral cover of claim 1 in which said pocket isformed by folding over the edges of said section of yieldable materialand fastening the folded edges to said material.

3. An adjustable cover comprising:

a first formed section of yieldable material;

a first pocket formed by hemming a second formed section of yieldablematerial to said first section along a first line parallel to theperimeter of said first section;

a second pocket formed by hemming said second sec#` tion to said firstsection along a second line parallel to the perimeter of said material,said second pocket being narrower than said first pocket and openinginto said first pocket at two ends thereof;

and elastic band narrower than said second pocket and placed therein;

first and second mating pressure fastening means each being wider thansaid first pocket and narrower than said second pocket, and each beingconnected to opposite ends of said elastic band;

said first pocket having at least one aperture formed therein throughwhich said first and means extend;

said first fastening means having on a surface a plurality of uprighthooks, and said second fastening means having on another surface aplurality of loops, so that a firm fastening is made when any point uponthe length of said first fastening means is pressed against any pointalong the length of said second fastening means, a significant forcebeing required j to open the fastening; and

said first and second fastening means having a sufficient length tosignificantly vary the expansion of said elastic band by varying thepoint of fastening along the respective lengths.

4. In an adjustable cover in which an elastic band is placed in a pocketformed by hemming a shaped piece of second fastening material, and inwhich fastening means are attached to i ends of the elastic band andmade accessible external to the pocket for adjusting the expansion ofthe elastic band, the improvement in which the fastening meanscomprises:

a first Woven means having a first side including a plurality of uprightthreads in the shape of hooks;

a second woven means Ihaving a second side including a plurality ofthreads in the shape of loops;

said first and second woven means providing a firm fastening when anypoint along the length of said first side is pressed against any pointalong the length of said second side; and

said first and second woven means having sufiicient length tosignificantly vary the expansion of the elastic band by varying thepoint at which said first and second sides are pressed together.

5. The improvement in the adjustable cover as described in claim 4 inwhich said second side of said second woven means includes a secondplurality of upright threads in the shape of hooks, the plane of thehooks on said second side being transverse with respect to the plane ofthe hooks on said first side.

6. The improvement in the adjustable cover of claim 4 in which:

said first and second woven means are wider than the pocket formed bythe hemming;

a portion of the hemming is laterally offset with respect to the rest ofthe hemming to form another pocket wider than said first and secondwoven means; and

said first and second woven means are placed in said another pocket.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,219,790 3/1917Taylor 108-90 2,486,320 10/1949 Ost 150-52 X 3,185,197 5/1965 Spiro etal 150-5 FOREIGN PATENTS 128,113 5/1950 Sweden.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner.

1. AN ADJUSTABLE PERIPHERAL COVER COMPRISING: A SECTION OF YIELDABLEMATERIAL; A POCKET FORMED BY SAID MATERIAL EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLYAROUND THE PERIMETER OF SAID MATERIAL; AN ELASTIC BAND PLACED WITHINSAID POCKET; FIRST AND SECOND PORTIONS OF MATING HOOK AND EYE PRESSUREFASTENING MEANS; SAID FIRST AND SECOND PORTIONS CONNECTED, RESPECTIVELY,TO FIRST AND SECOND ENDS OF SAID ELASTIC BAND, AND EXTENDING THROUGHFIRST AND SECOND APERTURES FORMED IN SAID POCKET; AND SAID FIRST ANDSECOND PORTIONS CAPABLE OF FORMING A SUBSTANTIALLY NON-BULGING, FIRMFASTENING WHEN PRESSED TOGETHER, AND BEING OF SUFFICIENT LENGTH TO VARYTHE EXPANSION OF SAID ELASTIC BAND WHEN PRESSED TOGETHER AT ANY POINT.